The Perfect Present
by Mulderette
Summary: A miserable Christmas gets turned around when Callen receives the perfect present.


_So, this is definitely out of my norm, but I just felt like writing it. I'm not into Callen and Anna at all and have little interest in reading or writing about them as a couple. Maybe I will get over it one of these days, but today is not that day. In any case, if you're against the possibility of Callen & Joelle, this is one you will want to skip. Those who read it anyway, thanks so much :)_

 _xxxxx_

Christmas Eve...a night full of church, carols, lights, gifts, and gifts. But for Callen, this year, it was a time of despair. As a child, he'd learned early on that expectations at Christmas led only to disappointment. Sometimes, he would receive one or two cheap toys from a charitable organization along with socks and underwear, maybe hats or mittens. The worst was being in a home with a family who only took in foster kids to add to their income. The sons and daughters would receive extravagant gifts, dolls, dollhouses, footballs, trucks, racetracks, and games wrapped in brightly colored paper with ribbons, all likely paid for with the money the families got from their foster children. He and what other children were there would watch the celebrations and try to be happy with cold cereal and maybe some kind of hand-me-down gift, if they were lucky. Though, in all honesty, any Christmas when he hadn't been getting smacked around had been a good one in his book.

Once Hetty had intervened in his life, things had been different. She'd given him the Christmases he'd never had, with delicious food, a Christmas tree and plenty of presents. She'd opened up a whole new world to him, a world he'd never thought he'd see, but this year there was no Hetty. That would have been bad enough, but just two weeks ago, Eric had come to him with grim news. The Russian prison, where they assumed Callen's father was being held, had been bombed and he had not been found among the survivors. Callen had sworn Eric to secrecy, not wanting to bring down any of his teammates during the holiday season.

He had also refused Sam's offer to spend the holiday with his family, Kensi and Deeks' offer and Eric and Nell's. Without Hetty, his father, his sister who still refused to talk with him, and his nephew, he was doing his best to ignore this holiday and pretend it didn't exist. Living over Deeks' bar had the distinct advantage that he could drink whatever he wanted to his heart's content on Christmas day. Of course, he would leave the money to cover whatever he took, but luckily, Kensi and Deeks would be at home with their moms for Christmas day and he would have the bar to himself.

"Might as well get a head start," he said as he took a bottle of beer from behind the bar. "Merry Christmas, G," he told himself as he tilted his head back and took a long gulp of the beer. He was almost through the bottle and debating on another when he heard a knock on the door. "We're closed!" he shouted.

The knock sounded again more persistently. Callen got up from his bar stool and flung open the door. "I SAID WE'RE CL…" The words died on his lips when he saw who was standing there.

"I heard you the first time...you're closed…" Joelle said softly. She looked she'd had a rough time. She was dirty and her hair was matted and disheveled. There was dried blood over her forehead and a large purple bruise over her right cheek.

"What happened to you? Why are you here?" Callen asked, standing aside to let her into the bar. Joelle stayed put though.

"I came to bring you your Christmas gift…"

"My what?" He shook his head in confusion. This wasn't making any sense to him. "How did you even know where I was?"

"I went by Sam's boat...he told me. I saw his kids. I can't believe how grown up Kamran is. I thought you might have been with them on `Christmas Eve…"

Callen shook his head. "No...not this year… What about you? Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"I…" She hesitated, her eyes sad. "I should get your gift, Callen."

"Is this some kind of a game, Joelle? Because if it is, I should warn you, I'm not at all in the mood."

"I promise you, it's not a game. It's far from a game."

"Okay...where is it?"

"Wait inside. I'll be right in."

He looked at her, eyes filled with suspicion. "Joelle…"

"Trust me, Callen...you're going to like this gift...I promise you…"

She looked nothing but sincere and finally he nodded. "Okay...I'll wait inside."

"Thank you." She smiled at him and he went back into the bar and waited.

Just two minutes later, she came back into the bar and beckoned to someone who was presumably standing off to the side, out of sight. He waited apprehensively before the figure appeared in front of him "Papa?" he asked in disbelief, with a hitch in his voice. His blue eyes immediately filled with tears as he went to his father who took him into his arms.

"Grisha...my son, my son…"

Callen tried to keep himself together, but found his tears just kept flowing. Finally, he managed to compose himself somewhat and he looked at Joelle whose eyes were also filled with tears, but she had an overjoyed smile on her lips. "Come...sit down," he said, showing the two of them to a table. Now that he could see his father, he could see that he appeared thinner than he already had been and his face was bruised and battered, even more so than Joelle's. "Can I get you something? Tea maybe?"

Garrison nodded and Joelle did as well. "Tea sounds perfect," she said.

Callen went to make the tea, calming himself even further as he did so. He still couldn't believe this was happening. Part of him wondered if he had drank himself into a stupor and was now in some weird alcohol-induced dream. If he was, he hoped he didn't wake up. "Here you go," he said as he returned to the table and passed Joelle and his father each a cup of hot tea. He then sat down with them. "I don't understand how this happened…" he looked at his father and then to Joelle, his eyes begging for answers.

"The night you dropped me off at my family's house...I couldn't go in," Joelle began. "It was too overwhelming...I needed to think…"

Callen shook his head. "You could have told me that, Jo," he said. "I would have understood that you needed time…"

Joelle looked back at him, a faint smile on her lips. "You say that now, but I don't think you would have understood at the time...In any case, I kept thinking about what you told me...about your father…"

Callen stared back at her, the true extent of what she'd done becoming clearer. "You…" he didn't even know what to ask her, so he waited.

"I still have good connections who were willing to help me…I went to them with your story...I asked them to help."

"But...I don't understand...It's my father...why didn't you tell me about this?" Callen asked. "I should have been involved."

"I didn't know what the chances for success were," Joelle said. "I didn't want to raise your hopes and then break your heart all over again. I couldn't...I just couldn't do that to you again…"

At that point, Callen gazed into her eyes and saw so much more than he had ever seen before. "I…"

"Grisha?"

Callen turned back to his father and saw that the elderly man looked exhausted. "You must be tired," he said softly. "I have a place for you upstairs. "It's small, but it's good for right now...until we figure things out…"

"Thank you, Grisha, I am very tired" Garrison admitted as he stiffly got to his feet. He then looked down at Joelle, his eyes filled with gratitude. "I don't know how to thank you for what you did...you risked your life for me, a man you didn't even know…"

"But you're the father of a man I know very well...and I wanted to do this for him," Joelle said softly. "I'm just really glad this worked out...I wish the best for both of you…"

Garrison nodded. "Thank you…" Callen stood up and went to bring his father up to the apartment. "I'll be right back," he said to Joelle who just nodded.

"You can sleep here," Callen said, leading his father to the small bedroom.

Garrison quickly shook his head. "I can take the sofa."

"I sleep on the sofa often," Callen said. "Please...take the bedroom…"

"Alright," Garrison said, nodding. He then embraced his son once again. "We will talk more in the morning, my son…But just so you know...Joelle...her heart is in the right place..."

Callen nodded. "I do know…" There was no way she would have risked her life to bring his father back to him unless she cared for him. He knew that without a doubt."Goodnight, papa…"

"Goodnight, Grisha…"

xxxxx

"Did you get your father all settled in?" Joelle asked when Callen returned to the bar.

Callen nodded. "I did…" He sat down across from her and just gazed at her silently. He just didn't know what to say. "Joelle...I…"

"She reached across the table and placed her finger over his lips. "Don't…" she said softly. "You don't have to say anything…"

"How can you even say that?" Callen asked incredulously. "What you did, Jo...I...I don't even know how I can ever thank you for it...there are no words…"

"I don't want you to thank me," Joelle said, looking back at him sincerely. "The simple truth is I did this because it's what you deserved, Callen. You've gone through so much in your life and it seems like you get smacked back down every time things get a little better for you. I don't want that to happen to you again. I want you to have your family back. Maybe having your dad back is the first step to getting your sister and nephew back again, as well. I...I just want you to be happy…"

"And what about you, Jo?" Callen asked, his eyes pierced into hers, a thousand feelings reverberating through him, but she was married with a son. The complications here were immense.

"I don't know," she admitted, quietly. "I have a lot to think about...a lot that needs to be figured out…"

"Where are you staying?" he asked.

"I've booked a hotel…"

"Can I see you again?" he asked, then realizing that sounded presumptuous he clarified his question. "To talk?"

Joelle nodded. "Of course, Callen. I...I'd like that…"

"What about tomorrow? It's Christmas…"

"I don't know," she said, looking a bit lost. "I'm not sure…"

"If you want...you can come here for dinner...I'm not even sure what we'll have but...I want to do something special for him…"

"I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be," Callen quickly reassured her. "I'd like it...I know my father would like it too…"

"Okay." Joelle smiled brightly at him. "What time?"

"About 1?"

"That sounds fine…I...I should go now though…"

Callen nodded and walked her outside to her car. She opened the door and stood under the moonlight gazing at him. "Thank you just seems such a trite thing to say after what you've done for us…" Callen said.

"I already told you, you don't need to thank me, Callen. I wanted to do this for you. I just want you to be happy."

He nodded. More than anything in the world he wanted to kiss her, but he couldn't. So much needed to be resolved and he wouldn't make things worse for her. She had a child to think about. He knew, more than anyone, that was the most important thing. "So...we'll see you tomorrow for Christmas dinner?"

"I'll see you tomorrow…"

"Merry Christmas, Jo…"

"Merry Christmas, Callen…"

She got into her car and he closed the door then watched until she had driven out of sight. He then headed back into the bar, Suddenly, his life had turned upside down, but in a good way, and most importantly, his father was home again. He hoped that this time, they could really develop their relationship. Life was just too short. He and his father had been given another chance and he didn't want to waste any more time.


End file.
